Screw-top jar wrench



Nov. 20; 19 5. .c. ESCHER 2,389,301

SCREW-TOP JAR WRENCH Filed Oct. 18, 1944 1 f I WHHHWIHTHHHWHHHMHHH 2 INVENTOR.

CHARLES ESCHE Patented Nov. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention is a wrench for facilitating the removal of the screwv tops of glass jars such as are commonly employed in the home canning of fruits and vegetables, These screw tops often stick so tightly that it is impossible to remove them without the use of tools or until the Jar rubbers, with which they are usually associated,

are pulled from between the lower edge of the cap and the glass seat of the jar.

complished through the employment of the novelhandle construction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed descriptionand claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. The accompanying drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of a jar with a screw cap thereon and a wrench embodying the present invention positioned to remove the cap,

Figure 2 is a plan view bf the assembly shown in Figure 1, but with the handle and part of the band in section.

Figure 3 is a face view of the handle,

Figure 4 is a section through the handle on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the mode of operatio'nof the wrench in gripping the screw top of a jar.

The handle I of the wrench of the present invention is preferably made of heavy gauge sheet -metal blanked out from flat stock and then manipulated by dies into the form shown in the drawing. In its finished form it embodies'an angle plate having parallel portions 2 and 3 which are fiat and these are joined to one another by a sloping portion 4. Along both sides and across one end of the angle plate are formed flanges 5 to impart strength and rigidity to the angle plate and provide'an appropriate grip for the hand of the operator,

The portion 3 of the angle plate is cut out to provide two spaced apart openings 6 and l which are separated from one another to form a transverse bar 8 and around this bar one en v of the band 9 is looped, as -at l0, so as to be returned upon itself andsecured by a rivet l l which serves to firmly anchor that end of the band to the bar 8. The other end of the band 9 is adapted to be passed through the cut out opening 1 and is provided at longitudinally spaced apart distances with perforations l2 adapted to be engaged with a post l3, forming a continuation of and rigid with the inclined or sloping portion 4 of the angle plate.

I'call particular attention to the fact that the opening 6 is spaced some little distance from the end of the portion 3, so as to provide, at the inboard end of the handle, a projecting nose M, the outer edge of which is adapted to contact with the outer periphery of a conventional screw topTofajar J.

The importance of this projecting nose l4 will more clearly appear from Figure 5. In this figure I have shown a circle T which indicates the outer periphery of the screw top. The heavy line i in this figure indicates "the axis of the handle I along which are indicated three points MI, 8' and I3, The point l4 designates the extreme edge of the nose I4. The point 8' indicates the bar 8 forming the anchor of one end of the band 9 and the point l3 corresponds to the post l3 and indicates the anchorage of the other end of the band.

When the parts are initially positioned in cooperative relation with the jar top, the handle is placed at approximately the angle shown in Figure 5, so that when the handle is moved in thedirection of the arrow a, indicated in this figure, the handle will form a compound lever. In the first place it will be rocked on the fulcrurn'li'. This will tend to cause the point W to move in the direction of the arrow-b along the surface of "the circle T, while the point I3 will move in the direction of arrow at to take up the slack in the band 9. As soon as this slack is taken up and the band is pulled tight, two distinct operations will simultaneously become efiective: The first will be the result of the operation of a lever of the second clas pivoted at 8' and extending to the outer end of the power arm, indicated at c, with the load at l3, to tighten the band. At the same time the handle will operate as a lever of the first class, the same being fulcrumed at 8' with the power arm extending from 8' to c and the work arm from 8' to M. As the power arm of such lever is of a length greatly in excess of the work arm, great power will be exerted to continue the travel of the point I 4' in the direction of the arrow b and this movement will force the points 8 and [3 further away from the circle T as the handle I approaches radial relation with said circle. This forcing of the point 8' and I3 in an outward direction will set up a strong pull upon the band 9 and this pull will place the band under such tension that it will be impossible for it to slip with respect to the surface T. Consequently through the compound leverage to which I have referred, there will not only be a tightening of the band by a pull longitudinally thereof, but there will also be a contemporaneous tightening of the band through radial pressure at the two. spaced apart points 8 and I 3' in its length. It i this compound leverage and resulting dual tightening effeet that is responsible for the unusually tight grip which the band exerts upon the jar top and this result is achieved by the projecting nose I4 of the structure shown in the other figures.

It will of course be understood that several perforations l2 in the band are to permit of use of the wrench with screw caps of different sizes and that an appropriate perforation will be brought into cooperative relation with the post I 3 to bring about the relation which I have described.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A screw top jar wrench comprising ahandle having an outer end portion constituting a hand grip and an inner end portion provided with a pair of spaced apart openings forming between them a transversely extendin attaching bar, a post rigid with the handle and extending into the opening which is contiguous to the hand grip, and a band attached at one end to said bar with its other end normall free and unattached and provided with longitudinally spaced apart perforations adapted for selective engagement with said post, the opening at the other side of the .bar being spaced from the inner end of the handle to form a nose extending parallel to said attaching bar and adapted to engage with the outer surface of a jar top when the band is wrapped about the jar top and engaged with said post, whereby said nose will force said bar and post in a direction away from the center of the jar top as the handle is moved from non-radial to substantially radial relation to said jar top.

2. A screw top jar wrench comprising a handle in the form of an angle plate having parallel inner and outer portions connected by a sloping intermediate portion and provided around two of its longitudinal edges and across its outer end with a flange to strengthen said angle plate, the outer end portion of such handle plate and associated flange constituting a hand grip and the inner end portion of said angle plate being provided with a pair of spaced apart openings forming between them a transversely extending attaching bar, a post rigid with the handle and extending into the opening which is contiguous to the hand grip, and a band attached at one end to said bar with its other end normally free and unattached and provided with longitudinally spaced apart perforations adapted for selective engagement with said post, the opening at the other side of the bar being spaced from the inner end of the handle to form a nose extending parallel to said attaching bar and adapted to engage with the outer surface of a jar top when the band is wrapped about the jar top and engaged with said post, whereby said nose will force said bar and post in a direction away from the center of the jar as the handle is moved from non-radial to substantially radial relation to said jar top.

CHARLES ESCHER. 

